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Swedish indie-pop band Like Swimming has just released the first part of their two-part EP, ‘Resistance / Relations’. The EP is an attempt for the band to get all their political frustration out in the first part, ‘Resistance’, and to make room for the ups and downs of personal battles in the second part, ‘Relations’, coming later this year.

Like Swimming has put together a playlist for us, of tracks that have inspired ‘Resistance’.

CHVRCHES – The Mother We Share

Great inspiration for the synth in ‘Strike a Pose’!

Robyn – Who’s That Girl?

Strike the rhythm!

Robyn – Dancing On My Own

That bass gave us the right feeling for ‘Strike a Pose’.

Gang of Youths – Poison Drums & Phoenix – Lisztomania

Both tracks inspired us to change the drums of ‘The Ground’ completely.

Daughter – Smother

Gave us the right feeling of desolation and frustration for ‘Save Me’.

Jennie Abrahamson – Bloodlines

Inspired us to put the vocal up front in ‘Save Me’.

Like Swimming – Lean on

We liked the space we allowed ourselves to have in this one, so we wanted to do it again.

Vi Va Dom – Familjen

Gave us the right dancing moves for ‘Dead but Dancing’

Beck – Girl

Helped us feel ok with letting ‘Dead but Dancing’ stand out from the rest of the songs.

Bob Dylan – Ballad of a Thin Man

The lyrics from this inspired all of ‘Growing’, so much that we had to lend a phrase even.

Royal Teeth – Wild

Those rim shots are why Petter “missed” the snare on ‘Growing’.

Like Swimming – Cover My Eyes

This is a song that we did and liked so much that we wanted to do again, it turned out to be something very different: ‘Fire on the Fields’.

In times of hardship, authentic voices, stories, and creativity can always thrive, so I suppose there is at least one silver lining to Brexit and the issues of immigration and women’s rights.

Amahla has put together a playlist of a few songs that have influenced her recently. They differ in genre, but all put great vocals to the front.

Nick Drake – River ManI’m new to Nick Drake but I absolutely love this one, his voice takes you on a journey through the song

Alicia Keys – If I Ain’t Got YouThere is so much class in this record, killer pre chorus, chorus and the dynamics flow just right.

Don Bryant – How Do I Get There?I only discovered this song last week but i’ve not been able to stop playing it! Turns out Don was a songwriter at Hi records (Al Green, Ann Peebles) it just fills me with warmth every time I listen.

Ed Sheeran – Supermarket FlowersEd’s language choices in this track are so powerful especially about such mundane things. I guess when you lose someone you do tend to focus on all the little things

Beyonce – Get Me BodiedI love this song, once it hits the middle 8 it reminds me so much of Chain of Fools by Aretha. An underrated song from B 100%

Brother Brothers – ColoradoI really love the way the melody line sits above the guitar, it glides so effortlessly and makes their sound feel new.

Amahla – Consider ThisIt’s lovely because every time I play this live I get to reinvent the arrangement, this is definitely a style that I’m hoping to build on in future releases

Los Angeles by way of Nashville singer/songwriter Charlee Remitz has just released her album, ‘Sad Girl Music’. It’s full of 80’s inspired synths and breakaway vocals that tell a story of the first flashes of love.

Charlee has put together a playlist together for Indietronica. Check it out below!

Troye Sivan – SUBURBIA

I’ve always admired Troye Sivan’s work in its entirety. His songs are beautifully structured–the melodies, the lyrics, the swelling synths and sparkling production beneath. I tend to stray from most modern pop. It’s become predictable. There are no dramatic or epic imperfections, which is something I think is so important in music. That subtle messy quality, which reminds you this person is human. This side effect of life is relatable. Love is found and lost. Troye Sivan transmogrifies the mundane–that’s what I most admire about this song. It is, in essence, a love letter to suburbia–the most mundane and simple part of our world. Where things look neat and perfect, but wars and exhausted battles are being fought within. Where transformation is often a thing of myth.

Lorde – Homemade Dynamite

Lorde is an elegant songstress. She draws a parallel between princesses and youth, kings and jesters. She has this incredible ability to string all these different parts of life into one teeming soup of tragic, melancholic celebration. There’s an insane relatability there, but also a disconnect, in that you can never imagine rising to such a prodigious understanding of life and its weary inhabitants. I’ve always imagined her heart is a different color than mine. A different shape even. It seems far more resilient and impervious to societal blue. I love how it observes our changing landscape, how it translates it into written word.

Hayley Kiyoko – Sleepover

This song is a wild clump of Forget-Me-Not. That sudden and intense remembrance of everything you had with a lover in your bed, especially knowing you may not ever have it again, as that love is swept away, downstream. But it isn’t nefarious, it’s sweet, it’s a lullaby. There’s no vengeance. I wanted to touch on that same elegance when I wrote about the end of my relationship.

Ariana Grande – Thinking Bout You

I’m not actually a massive Ariana Grande fan. But she does have BIG moments. Big, random, wonderful, spontaneous songs that pop up on each album. “Why Try,” “Thank U, Next,” and this track are all immediate, flawless favorites of mine. A branch of polished pop I can get behind. They all carry like a movie epic. The way they rise and fall, the way she tells a story, it’s like her vocals are afloat.

Aly and AJ – Take Me

This track is a dream. An ode to the 80s. I’ve largely called upon the 80s for inspiration with this album, right down to the fonts used. The 80s have this disconnected sparkle. Everything seems vivid and colorful and the stories are epic, teenagers riding in their classic cars, falling in love on spindle-wired phones. Unrequited love is in drastic overuse, but this story seems brand new. A blue heart turning remarkably pink by the song’s grand finale.

FLETCHER – You Should Talk

I didn’t fully understand this song until I went through a similar situation. Now, it’s the most relatable song to me in the world. There truly is no terror beyond the person you love finding love, comfort, sharing their self and body with someone new. Lately, I’ve been struggling most with the lack of empathy and warmth. The boy I loved, and will probably love forever, has no warmth left. No compassion. When he addresses me, it’s ice cold, and I’m left in his wake, shivering. I’m tired of the misunderstanding. The desire to find a closure that could exist if only he would open up just a bit and tell me his misses me too. It doesn’t need to be our revival, it just needs to be a final, “It was real, but now we let go.”

Katelyn Tarver – You Don’t Know

Simply put, this is the song I cried to, for so long. It’s being misunderstood. It’s wanting to be blue. It’s wishing people would stop poking at you. It’s being sad and not forcing yourself to wipe your tears. It’s ugly. It’s beautiful. It’s just letting it consume you for one moment because you’re sick of being strong. But there’s a triumph in that. Even if it feels like giving up. You’re not. You’re giving in so you can find the strength in unraveling.

John Mayer – In Your Atmosphere

The truest love of mine: John Mayer. Picking just one song was quite the struggle. I landed here because it falls–somewhat–in line with the rest of these. It has that cosmic feel the others do. Some carry it in their production, some in the story, some in the melodic structure. John Mayer is a wordsmith and “In Your Atmosphere” is the perfect break up song for someone like me–who loves being connected to another heart in the world when I’m traveling, who loves coming home to someone. Who loves that drum in my chest, the butterflies in my belly, the buzzing beneath my skin. That anticipation is a miracle. I’ve lost it. I feel terrified I took it for granted and won’t have it again.

Taylor Swift – Call it What You Want

A delicate love story. I remember listening through Reputation for the first time, and winding up in tears after its redemptive finale, with “Call it What You Want” and “New Year’s Day.” I’m not a crier without reason. How she found such a sweet and sound ending to an album that was otherwise filled with revenge, is beyond me, but she did. I wanted to end Sad Girl Music in a similar manner. I wanted it to come full circle. To feel like a journey. To drive, and then, to drift.

Lord Huron – Lost in Time and Space

I was very inclined to select his other, more popular 13 Reasons Why smash success, “The Night We Met,” but felt this track was one I more often heard in my head when I was in a rare moment of silence. Lost in time and space. Isn’t that what we all are? “Drowning in the seas of stars, lost in a galaxy of cocktail bars.” It’s miserable and uplifting. It’s sadness, it’s the distraction you search for, it’s the acceptance: all you have is you. You have you and the stars, and what else–really–do you need? Getting to that place. That final turning moment where you realize, love, as special and beautiful it is with another, love is best enjoyed when it’s found with yourself. When you become resolute–lost in time and space.

Canadian dance producer Pat Lok has teamed up with pop artist Kate Stewart on his new single called ‘Know Me’, ahead of his second studio EP campaign soon, out on Kitsuné.

To celebrate the release, we asked Pat Lok to put together a playlist for us.

Pat Lok – Know Me ft Kate Stewart
My new song “Know Me” is all about that moment when you first meet someone and there’s chemistry but you’re still trying to play it a little cool, not move too fast. Musically it’s inspired by 80s boogie, an incredible era for music – which is the theme of this playlist.

D-Train – You’re The One For Me
That synth riiff is so SO recognizable, one of the greatest little hooks ever. D-Train has such an emotional tone to his voice. No wonder it’s one of the most sampled records of all time.

Janet Jackson – When I Think Of You
You can’t have 80s without including Janet, her productions with Jam & Lewis still sound pristine today. It’s tough to write rnb classics in a major key but they did it so well here with that simple repeating bassline.

The SOS Band – High Hopes
SOS Band has so many great songs but this is more on the chill and disco side of things, with the live bass holding it down. And then that hook! So groovy I just never want it to end.

Cherelle – I Didn’t Mean To Turn You On
When people say 80s boogie, this song is what they mean. A simple unforgettable vocal, huge funky synth stabs, a strutting bassline bouncing between the kick and snare. Untouchable.

Imagination – Just An Illusion
One of the most prolific yet oft forgotten acts of the 80s era, Imagination lived up to their name with terrific songwriting wrapped in sensual mystique and exotic outfits. Their album covers are among my all time favorites, you’ll want to check out their videos.

Cheryl Lynn – Got To Be Real
Not many songs are recognizable from the very first note. Soundtracking everything from the first NYC vogue contests to your aunt’s wedding. Again a bit more disco with all the horn instrumentation and less synths but with that kick – snare groove I’m sneaking this one in.

Janet Jackson – The Pleasure Principle
Yup doubling down on Janet. Written by The Time’s Monte Moir, this one perfectly encompasses the era, that balance between live instrumentation and synths (which were finally becoming mainstream in pop music). Janet’s vocals wander all over the place, which is probably why there are versions near 10 min long but I love every minute of it.

The BB&Q Band – Dreamer
Funky, dreamy, spacey. Those sparkly synth areggios swirling around the sequenced drum machine. One of the unsung classics!

Change – Searching
Featuring a guy named Luther Vandross before he got all famous. This one sets the standard for triplet-time (6/8) dance music.

London artist Austel creates highly emotive music, so we thought it would be worth asking her to put together a playlist for us of the same! The result is below, and includes her brand new single ‘Crows’.

Crows – Austel

Our debut single, which we’re very excited to be able to share with the world.

Love Me In Whatever Way – James Blake

I had this album on repeat for months after it came out. I love the recurring vocal riff and building tension in the first half of this track. The drop is immense – that saw bass synth riff… so good.

I’m a big fan of the self-titled Fever Ray record and Karin Dreijer’s androgynous vocal style. On ‘Dry and Dusty’, she combines her tribal voice with developing synth motifs and simple percussion, conjuring a surreal, dream-like mood.

I went through a stage of being a bit obsessed by the Stranger Things soundtrack – it’s so hypnotic. The bass synth glide on ‘Hazmat Suits’ is huge and hits me in the stomach every time.

Form By Firelight – Jon Hopkins

Jon Hopkins’ Immunity is a huge sonic influence on us; it has so much life amongst all the electronic sounds. It’s just brilliant.

This Mess We’re In – PJ Harvey

One of my favourite songs of all time, on one of my favourite albums of all time. The addition of Thom Yorke’s ghostly vocals are a dream collaboration.

‘I have seen the sunrise over the river, the freeway / Reminding of this mess we’re in’

Outlier – Bonobo

Bonobo’s music has a great driving, energetic feel to it. Adam and I were both obsessed with Migration when it came out. The track ‘Outlier’ builds really strongly adding layer after layer. Tracks like this really influenced the Austel production process.

Sleaze – Klangstof

One of my more recent discoveries – I love the expansive space Klangstof create with those pulsing synths and soaring hooks.

‘The tide needs a night to set up and collide’

Europe Is Lost – Kate Tempest

Kate Tempest is one of the most powerful performers of our time – the rising tension and cutting message of this track is profoundly resonant, and a haunting reflection of the days we’re living in.

‘We have learned nothing from history / The people are dead in their lifetimes’

Silhouettes (I, II & III) – Floating Points

Adam’s a big Floating Points fan. ‘Silhouettes (I, II & III)’ has this amazing string part in the middle section which is a wonderful merger of electronic and acoustic instrumentation.

The Eraser – Thom Yorke

This whole record is incredible, another one of my favourites. The opening title track is Thom Yorke at his best – trademark moody piano chords, glitchy rhythms and those beautiful, haunting vocals.

‘You know the answer so why do you ask?’

Teardrop – Massive Attack

‘Teardrop’ was my entry ticket into trip hop. Elizabeth Fraser is one of the greatest singers of all time and this track perfectly exhibits how much power you can create with moments of fragility and dynamic range.

POLO is an exciting new band comprised of Luke Lount, Kat McHugh and Daniel Edgell.

The trio base themselves out of “a total dive” town in Leeds, and use this rough’n’ready surrounding as inspiration for their music, which is full of heart and substance.

We asked POLO to put together a few of their favourite songs, and here they are!

Porches – Country

A song written like no other.

Baloji – Soleil de Volt

Got this on repeat at the moment… There are so many hooks throughout and there’s heaps of energy and life in the recording. Probably the funkiest song of the year so far

Patrice Rushen – Remind me

The slowest of slow jams.

Phoria – Red

Sonic bliss! These guys are super talented, and seem to always hit you right in the feels with their song writing ability.

Young Fathers – In My View

LOVE LOVE LOVE the sound young fathers are putting out at the moment. They’re nailing it for me with experimental lyrics through rap and spoken word and combining that with a big bodyshaking production. Also well worth a youtube for the music vid.

Olympia – Smoke Signals

A party favourite for the band. Feel good, fun and really damn catchy.

SZA – The Weekend

We all absolutely love SZA and this is just one of the many bangers from her amazing debut.

Amandla Sternberg – Let Me Stay Baby

Silky, smooth, sexy. A feast for the soul and ears.

Nils Frahm – Sunson

Beautiful and serene from start to finish. We had the pleasure of seeing him live recently and it was breathtaking.

Patawawa is an exciting British trio. The group create infectious disco for a modern nation.

With a number of blood-pumping releases so far – all of which we can’t stop listening to – we figured we’d pick their brains and ask them for their musical inspirations. It’s an eclectic mix!

RORY’S PICKS

Crazy P – One True Light

Crazy P have had songs in most of my playlists for years now and this one from last year was exactly what I hoped for in a new release from them.

Don Raye – Standing in the Rain

This is one song that I knew I loved the first time I listened to it, all the spacey noises in the background with the disco instrumentation just made it a instant classic for me.

Gabriel Garzón-Montano – Crawl

Slow songs are few and far between in my music library, but this has something really nice about it, He’s got some other great songs but this is the one that I’ve been listening to a lot recently.

Jad & the – Strings That Never Win

There’s just something about a simple sample with a house beat that appeals to me massively and this song is a perfect example of that.

BETH’S PICKS

Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill

I absolutely love 80’s pop music and this song is the epitome of that genre for me. Its such a ‘cool’ song and its an absolute belter to sing along to.

Fela Kuti – Zombie

Afrobeat is the best music to dance to and also the best music to clean to! Vivd memories of dancing/cleaning my way round the house, and because its 12 mins long you feel like you’re getting a lot of song for your money.

Tensnake – Holding Back (My Love)

This is a great song anyway but when the guitar riff kicks in at the end, oh man, I cant help but get up and start shaking my ass, it’s a disgusting spectacle, but the song’s just too good.

SAM’S PICKS

Rex Orange County – Loving is Easy

I heard this song sometime around December last year and had it stuck in my head for a solid week and was playing it at every opportunity. Such a simple, brilliant song, I’m looking forward to hearing more from him this year!

Benny Sings – Rebuilding The Omega Man

I had couple of songs on my playlist from him (remixes I think) and then one day recently I thought I’d check out his stuff and was super happy I did! This is an absolute banger and I’ve found several more just as good!

Patrice Rushen – Let The Music Take Me

I got into listening to Disco pretty young, but I think again it was Rory who introduced me to Patrice Rushen. I love a lot of her stuff but have been playing this one a lot recently, just a proper feel good tune, a proper Disco banger!

Feist – Inside & Out

Rory first played me this song maybe about a year or so ago, and then it recently popped up in my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify and it has been great listening to it again. I love the chorus, such as beautiful voice with lovely lyrics and I love that synth! Very good tune indeed!

Liv Dawson – Hush

I discovered Liv Dawson in 2017, really with the help of Spotify! I loved her track ‘Searching’ and then she followed it up with this track, ‘Hush’. I think its a really cool song and her vocals work so well on it! It was also produced by Disclosure, so that’s a thumbs up from me!

Like what you hear? Check them out one of the upcoming live dates below:

Ohio based psychedelic pop quartet Captain Kidd share their new single called ‘Wild’, which is a blissful tune full of calming harmonies and shining production.

Lucky for you lot, Captain Kidd put together a playlist for us.

Blood Orange – Best to You

The hardest part about making this list might have been picking the right Dev Hynes track, but we would be lying if we said we’ve been jamming any other more than this one. The man truly is a genius, especially when it comes to writing parts for female vocalists, which is clearly shown in “Best to You.”

McFabulous – I Live Above the Hobby Shop

We were shuffling through discover weekly once and came across this track and thought maybe this was a live version of Glass Animals. We looked it up and realized they had sampled McFabulous for “Season 2 Episode 3,” and we absolutely loved this jam. Plus, McFabulous is an incredible name.

Ariel Pink – Another Weekend

Ariel Pink is the epitome of an artist pushing the boundaries of their sound. In fact, he has no boundaries. He does whatever he wants. Not many people can make experimental music catchy. This track off his new album is no different.

Porches – Find Me

One of our favorite current artists, still unknown to some. We fell in love with his last album Pool. It’s such a progression from his debut release. His latest, “Find Me,” combines that retro 90s house sound with modern day indie pop. We can’t wait for more from his upcoming full length.

TENDER – Machine

We discovered this U.K. based duo on a sub Reddit a few years back. They had one track out called “Armour.” We immediately fell in love with their production and the low and high vocal melody combo, which seems to have become their signature sound. Nate and Eric had a chance to see them live a few months back in Philadelphia.

La Poré – Sad Girl

La Poré is the fast rising solo project of our drummer, Nick Samson, started about a year ago now. If you’re into anything 80s or Foster the People then check out this track, and keep a look out for more of this tasteful pop coming from our percussionist!

Kanye West – Lost in the World

Kanye has been a favorite artist of ours for a long time, and has accompanied us on many road trips back and forth to Cleveland, so a playlist without him just wouldn’t feel right. Between the Bon Iver intro sample and the heavy driving beat, we have always felt this epic album closer is an underrated banger.

Frank Ocean – Self Control

Frank Ocean released Blonde in August 2016, and we instantly fell in love. His raw, emotive vocal style and minimalistic production caught our attention, and the album as a whole continues to get better with every listen. We like this track in particular because it starts out small and simple, but slowly transforms into one of the most moving songs on the album.

Jamie XX – Girl

Jamie XX has been a huge influence on us as self producers, especially with our percussion. We were obsessed with his album In Colour our last year of college. We lived in this enormous house with 9 people total, constantly jamming “Girl” and other accompanying tracks. The people we lived with that year are still some of our best friends, so the combination of nostalgia and the mark Jamie XX has had on us with our production makes this an important track.

Miguel – waves (Tame Impala Remix)

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala continues to amaze us with his progression as a producer and song writer. I mean, who saw Currents coming when Parker first released Innerspeaker? It seams as though he gets poppier with each release, but somehow still maintains that other worldly psychedelic goodness that many fans initially fell in love with. The “waves” remix isn’t what one would normally think of when thinking about a “remix.” It sounds like Miguel and Parker just teamed up to make a banger psych pop track, with those warm drum tones, luscious synths, and of course, lots of flanger.

Meet Mar, a Dutch-Caribbean-Indonesian who grew up on a houseboat with his musical family in Amsterdam.

We have been blown away by his emotive and often heartbreaking music, specifically his current EP ‘Things Will Be’, which touches on key issues such as depression and suicide.

As a little introduction to the music of Mar, we asked him to put together a playlist for you.

Massive Attack – TeardropI was born in ’87 I really think the 90s era in music had a huge impact on me. I love the video for this one, the whole package. The simple chords the simple melodies yet so powerful.

D’Angelo – AfricaBig fan of D’Angelo’s album Voodoo. This song stands out to me because it’s the only lullaby, he made I think. It’s more pure and honest than the other songs. I love the choice for the snare sound.

Jeff Buckley – So RealI heard Jeff kinda recently like 3/4 years ago or something and fell in love immediately, his guitar work is brilliant and his voice and falsetto are too. This song is truth to me.

Björk – All is Full of LoveBjörk is not like any other artist in her presentation. I remember seeing this video and was like wtf, this speaks to my soul. Robot clones of her kissing eachother in slowmo. fkyh! The production and lyrics are gold too. Everything fits.

Chris Whitley – Big Sky CountryMy father, a major infuence on my musical career, used to wake me and my sis up with this song and warm milk w honey. So everytime I hear this song I feel his love. Love the song and the bass specially.

James Blake – RetrogradeJames to me has one of the best live shows I’ve seen thus far. So pure and everything so well played/sung. His music is so powerful, simple but well put together.

The Isley Brothers – Sensuality Part 1&2My pianist played me this song, again the simplicity seems there, also in the solo, but the chord progression is kinda tricky to come up with. One of the most sexy tunes of all time to me

Prince – The Most Beautiful GirlPrince. The one I connected to while discovering I could sing falsetto haha. So unique. So feminine and powerful but a brought to earth as a man. What an amazing artist. Even though I’m deffo not fan of all of his work, when he touched me with a song he really did it deeply. Like this one. (Sexy M.F in playlist as Most Beautiful . . . is not available on Spotify)

Bill Evans – My Foolish HeartHis trio formation live show is what I always put on when I need some background music. Love his style of chords choice. This song to me is peaceful autumn, warm ginger tea and a book.

Mats & Morgan Band – HollmervalsenMy father came back from a Scandinavian tour and brought back this weird album from fusion duo Mats and Morgan. I used to listen to this song so often, trying to learn the tempo changes. When music becomes so boring for you, you decide make a robotic fusion song. That’s this to me.

It’s not long until the end of the year, and what better way to see 2017 through with a playlist from Chelsea Lankes. This one goes out to all the ladies, and is probably one of the best playlists we’ve ever had! Lucky you!

“Here are some favorites over the last couple months including songs from favorite albums this year: SZA, Phoebe Bridgers, YOUTH, Lorde and Wolf Alice. Also I put a few singles from female pop artists I love and respect! To be enjoyed while driving at night, at low key parties, showering or anywhere you might sing really loud alone. 🙂”